President Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday discussed with his political allies and legal aides his options to counter a possible move by the ruling coalition to oust him from office.Sources privy to the developments told Daily Times that Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussian and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi called on the president and assured him of support in case he was impeached, the sources said. They said the president appeared confident and said he would defend himself. Musharraf urged the PML leaders to solicit support for him in parliament. The Chaudhrys assured the president that the coalition would fail to muster the required strength of legislators in the Senate and National Assembly for the impeachment. The sources said that they also advised the president to go on with his planned visit to China to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.
Sources said the president also met Attorney General Malik Qayyum and Sindh Governor Ishratul Ebad, and talked to PML-Q leader Hamid Nasir Chattha on the phone. Chattha and president had met on Tuesday.
The sources said Musharraf also met Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani, but the ISPR director general did not confirm the meeting. Asked if the meeting took place, he said: "not to my knowledge".